Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Given We Will Only Get A Number To Call Come July 1 - Rather Than A Working NEHRS - Can We Get Some Money Back?

In the last couple of days, indeed since Senate Estimates last week., we have been learning just how limited the scope of the July 1, kick-off of the NEHRS / PCERH will be.

Here is a typical report.

Just another day in the e-health evolution

05/06/2012

Emma Connors

Anyone hoping for fireworks when a new $467 million-plus e-health system goes live next month is going to be disappointed.

In recent weeks, Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has been hosing down expectations. Last week, it was the turn of the Health Department secretary Jane Halton.

“One July is the beginning, not the end point,” Ms Halton told a Senate estimates committee hearing last week.

“We do not expect everyone to be registered on that date and we did not expect all the capability to be available on that date.”

In some respects the launch will be more remarkable for what is not there than what is.

Amazingly, the official website might have to redirect those who want to sign up for an electronic health record. Health Department officials can’t say for certain if the online registration capability will be available on July 1. If not, enthusiastic consumers will have to get off the internet and head for a Medicare shop front or ring a call centre instead.

So, it’s clear that as far as system launches go, this one is going to be more of a damp squib than a jaw-dropping display of new technology.

The government argues this is not so important. These new records have been more than a decade in the making so how they function in the health system in the medium to long term is more important than what happens next month.

External delivery assurance advisor $990,000 + extra a bit later (As the external assurance adviser, Ernst &Young will have ongoing oversight of the project and provide independent advice on progress) This one especially seems to have a good deal of work yet to do.

And of course there are millions that have gone to NEHTA as ‘managing agent’

Labor's Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record system blows out to $760m

SPENDING on Labor's Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record system has blown out to $760 million, almost $300m more than the $466.7m budget.

The National E-Health Transition Authority has swallowed the original allocation almost whole -- it has received $466m in taxpayers' money since the PCEHR was announced by former health minister Nicola Roxon in 2010.

The $760m price tag to date has been uncovered by The Australian in a detailed analysis of statutory records available from the federal Health Department, AusTender, the Senate Community Affairs committee and the Council of Australian Governments.

COAG allocated $218m in base funding for NEHTA for a three-year period from July 2009 until the PCEHR's promised operational start on July 1 this year.

Half of this funding came from the commonwealth while state and territory governments contributed the other half.

The Health Department gave NEHTA another $136m to develop specifications for the infrastructure and related software and systems, from July 09-12.

The latest departmental records show NEHTA recently received a $21m top-up on funding to $110m, for the provision of services related to the PCEHR's introduction from January last year.